Letter R Race to Run With.docx

Dictionary of Human Resources and Personnel Management race 215 range R race /re s/ noun a group of people who are different because of skin colour, hair, eyes, etc. Race Relations Act 1976 /re s r - _le ?(?)nz _kt na nti_n sev(?)nti _s ks/ noun an Act of Parliament which makes racial discrimination in employ-ment an offence racial / _re ?(?)l/ adjective of or refer-ring to a person’s race racial discrimination /re ?(?)l d skr m _ne ?(?)n/ noun the practice of treating a person differently (usually worse) because of their race The or-ganisation was accused of racial dis-crimination in selecting managers. racial prejudice /re ?(?)l _pred"?d s/ noun feelings against someone because of their race They investigated claims of racial prejudice in hiring staff. The immigrant felt forced to give up his job because of racial prejudice on the shop floor. racism /_re s z(?)m/, racialism /_re ??l z(?)m/ noun the belief in racist ideas or actions based on racist ideas She accused the company of racism in their appointments to the management committee. racist /_re s st/ noun, adjective (a per-son) believing that people of certain ra-cial or ethnic groups are inferior raiding /_re d ?/ noun same as poaching rainmaker /_re nme k?/ noun a per-son, especially a lawyer, who wins cli-ents who spend a lot of money doing business with their firm (slang) raise /re z/ noun US an increase in sal-ary He asked the boss for a raise. She is pleased – she has had her raise. She got her raise last month. (NOTE: British English is rise) verb 1. to ask a meeting to discuss a question The chairman tried to prevent the question of redundancies being raised. 2. to in-crease or to make higher The govern-ment has raised the tax levels. The organisation will raise wages if infla-tion gets worse. R&D abbr research and development random /_r_nd?m/ adjective done without making any special selection at random without special selection The director picked out two sales re-ports at random. random check /r_nd?m _t?ek/ noun a check on items taken from a group without any special selection random inspection /r_nd?m n- _spek??n/ noun an inspection carried out without any particular choice and without warning random sampling /r_nd?m _s?_mpl ?/ noun the choosing of sam-ples for testing without any special selection range /re nd"/ noun 1. a series of items There are a whole range of al-ternatives for the new salary scheme. 2. a spread of sizes or amounts within fixed limits The company’s salary scale ranges from £5,000 for a trainee to £50,000 for the managing director. range of salaries, salary range a list of salaries paid, from the lowest to the highest The salary range is £10,000 – £14,000. verb to be within a group of sizes or amounts falling within fixed limits The company sells products ranging from cheap downmarket pens to imported luxury items. The company’s salary scale ranges from £10,000 for a trainee to £150,000 for the managing director. Our activities range from range of indifference 216 rationalisation mining in the USA to computer services in Scotland. range of indifference /re nd" ?v n_d f(?)r?ns/ noun the top area of a salary scale, where the salaries are so high that salary increases are no longer an incentive to perform better rank /r_?k/ noun a position in a com-pany or an organisation All managers are of equal rank. Promotion means moving up from a lower rank. in rank order in order according to position of importance verb 1. to classify in order of importance Candidates are ranked in order of appearance. Candidates are ranked in order of their test results. 2. to be in a certain position all man-agers rank equally all managers have the same status in the company rank and file /r_?k ?n _fa l/ noun the ordinary members of a trade union or other association The decision was not liked by the rank and file. rank-and-file members ordinary members ranking /_r_?k ?/ adjective in a certain position a high-ranking offi-cial she is the top-ranking or the senior-ranking official in the delega-tion she is the member of the delegation who occupies the highest official post noun the act of arranging into a list in order of quality, importance or quantity Job ranking was carried out accord-ing to the relative importance of each job in the organisation. ranking system /_r_?k ? s st?m/ noun a way of calculating the value of jobs and sorting them into different levels rate /re t/ noun 1. the money charged for time worked or work completed 2. an amount of money paid (shown as a percentage) 3. an amount, number or speed compared with something else the rate of increase in redundancies The rate of absenteeism or the absentee-ism rate always increases in fine weather. verb to rate someone highly to value someone, to think some-one is very good ‘…the unions had argued that public sector pay rates had slipped behind rates applying in private sector employment’ [Australian Financial Review] rate of inflation /re t ?v n- _fle ?(?)n/ noun the percentage increase in prices over a twelve-month period (NOTE: also called rate of inflation) rate of taxation /re t ?v t_k- _se ?(?)n/ noun the proportion of a particular sum of money (such as a salary) which must be paid in tax He pays income tax at the highest rate. (NOTE: also called tax rate) rate of unemployment /re t ?v $n n_pl? m?nt/ noun number of people out of work, shown as a percentage of the total number of people available for work (NOTE: also called unemploy-ment rate) ratification /r_t f _ke ?(?)n/ noun official approval The agreement has to go to the board for ratification. ratify /_r_t fa / verb to approve offi-cially The agreement has to be rati-fied by the board. (NOTE: ratifies – ratifying – ratified) rating /_re t ?/ noun the act of giving something a value, or the value given rating scale /_re t ? ske l/ noun a se-ries of grades used in performance rating rating standard /_re t ? st_nd?d/ noun an international standard of work efficiency for pieceworkers ratio /_re ?i??/ noun 1. a proportion or quantity of something compared to something else the ratio of successes to failures With less manual work available, the ratio of employees to managers is decreasing. 2. a mathemati-cal expression that shows the relation-ship between two amounts The ratio of junior staff to senior staff is 5:1. Our product outsells theirs by a ratio of two to one. rationalisation /r_?(?)n?la - _ze ?(?)n/, rationalization noun a pro-cess designed to make an organisation efficient and profitable again when its performance or results have been poor, which usually involves changes in or-ganisation structure, redundancies, plant closures and cutbacks in supplies and resources (NOTE: The term is also used in a cynical way as a euphemism for mass redundancies.) rationalise 217 reasonable rationalise /_r_?(?)n?la z/, rational-ize verb to make something more effi-cient The rail company is trying to rationalise its freight services. The or-ganisation is trying to rationalise its salary scales. rat race /_r_t re s/ noun competition for success in business or in a career He decided to get out of the rat race and buy a small farm. raw /r?_/ adjective in the original state or not processed raw data /r?_ _de t?/ noun data as it is put into a computer, without being analysed raw deal /r?_ _di_l/ noun a bad ar-rangement or bad treatment She got a raw deal from her manager. raw labour /r?_ _le b?/ noun un-skilled workers Because too high a proportion of the local workforce was raw labour, the company had to recruit from further afield. RDO noun (in Australia and New Zea-land) a day of leave granted to staff un-der certain employment agreements when they have accumulated a particu-lar amount of overtime (NOTE: Full form rostered day off) reach /ri_t?/ verb to get to something to reach an agreement to agree to reach a decision to decide The two parties reached an agreement over the terms for the contract. The board reached a decision about closing the factory. readjust /ri_?_d"$st/ verb to adjust again to readjust salary scales readvertise /ri___dv?ta z/ verb to advertise again All the candidates failed the test so we will just have to re-advertise. to readvertise a post to put in a second advertisement for a vacant post readvertisement /ri_?d- _v__t sm?nt/ noun a second advertise-ment for a vacant post The readvertisement attracted only two new applicants. real /r ?l/ adjective (of prices or amounts) shown in terms of money ad-justed for inflation in real terms actu-ally or really Salaries have gone up by 3% but with inflation running at 5% that is a fall in real terms. ‘…real wages have been held down dramatically: they have risen as an annual rate of only 1% in the last two years’ [Sunday Times] real earnings /r ?l ___n ?z/, real wages /r ?l _we d" z/ plural noun in- come which is available for spending af-ter tax and other contributions have been deducted, corrected for inflation real time /_r ?l ta m/ noun the time when a computer is working on the pro-cessing of data while the problem to which the data refers is actually taking place The website allows you to check share prices in real time or gives real time information on share prices. real-time system /_r ?l ta m s st?m/ noun a computer system where data is inputted directly into the com-puter which automatically processes it to produce information which can be used immediately reapplication /ri__pl _ke ?(?)n/ noun a second or subsequent application for a job reapply /ri_?_pla / verb to apply again When he saw that the job had still not been filled, he reapplied for it. (NOTE: reapplies – reapplying – reapplied) reappoint /ri_?_p? nt/ verb to ap-point someone again She was reap-pointed chairman for a further three-year period. reappointment /ri_?_p? ntm?nt/ noun the act of being reappointed On her reappointment as chairman, she thanked the board for their support. The board decided to offer him reap-pointment for a further two years at the end of his fixed-term contract. reason /_ri_z(?)n/ noun an explanation as to why something has happened The chairman was asked for his reasons for cancelling the meeting. The com-pany gave no reason for the sudden clo-sure of the factory. reasonable /_ri_z(?)n?b(?)l/ adjec-tive 1. sensible or not annoyed The manager of the shop was very reason-able when I tried to explain that I had left my credit cards at home. 2. moder-ate or not expensive The union has reasonable behaviour 218 reconcile decided to put in a reasonable wage claim. reasonable behaviour /ri_z(?)n?b(?)l b _he vj?/ noun a way of approach by an employer when mak-ing employees redundant reassess /ri_?_ses/ verb to assess again The manager was asked to reas-sess the department staff, after the as-sessments were badly done by the supervisors. reassessment /ri_?_sesm?nt/ noun a new assessment reassign /ri_?_sa n/ verb to assign something again or to assign someone to a new position reassignment /ri_?_sa nm?nt/ noun a new assignment reassure /ri_?_???/ verb to make someone calm or less worried The manager tried to reassure her that she would not lose her job. rebuke /r _bju_k/ noun an act of criticising someone for doing something receipt /r _si_t/ noun 1. a piece of pa-per showing that money has been paid or that something has been received She lost her taxi receipt. Keep the re-ceipt for items purchased in case you need to change them later. Please produce your receipt if you want to ex-change items. 2. the act of receiving something Goods will be supplied within thirty days of receipt of order to acknowledge receipt of a letter to write to say that you have received a let-ter We acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 15th. Invoices are pay-able within thirty days of receipt. On receipt of the notification, the company lodged an appeal. reception /r _sep??n/ noun a place in a hotel or office where visitors register or say who they have come to see receptionist /r _sep??n st/ noun a person in a hotel or office who meets guests or clients, answers the phone, etc. recession /r _se?(?)n/ noun a fall in trade or in the economy The recession has reduced profits in many companies. Several firms have closed factories because of the recession. COMMENT: There are various ways of de-ciding if a recession is taking place: the usual one is when the GNP falls for three consecutive quarters. recipient /r _s pi?nt/ noun a person who receives something She was the recipient of an allowance from the com-pany. A registered letter must be signed for by the recipient. reckonable year /rek?n?b(?)l _j ?/ noun a year in which full National In-surance Contributions have been paid (used to calculate the state retirement pension) recognise /_rek? na z/, recognize verb 1. to know someone or something because you have seen or heard them before I recognised his voice before he said who he was. Do you recognise the handwriting on the application form? 2. to recognise a union to agree that a union can act on behalf of employees in a company Although more than half the staff had joined the union, the management refused to re-cognise it. recognition /rek? _n ?(?)n/ noun the act of recognising something or somebody recognition of a trade un-ion, union recognition the act of agree-ing that a union can act on behalf of employees in a company recognition agreement /rek? - _n ?(?)n ? ri_m?nt/ noun a document which sets out the terms under which a union is recognised, and the ways in which management and union will work together in the future recommend /rek?_mend/ verb 1. to suggest that something should be done The management consultant recom-mended a different form of pay struc-ture. 2. to say that someone or something is good I certainly would not recommend Miss Smith for the job. recommendation /rek?men- _de ?(?)n/ noun an act of saying that someone or something is good We ap-pointed him on the recommendation of his former employer. to make a rec-ommendation to suggest that some-thing should be done reconcile /_rek?nsa l/ verb 1. to make two financial accounts or state- reconsider 219 red tape ments agree She is trying to reconcile one account with another or to reconcile the two accounts. 2. to make two things agree Their manager tried to recon-cile the different points of view. reconsider /ri_k?n_s d?/ verb to think again about a decision which has already been made The interim agree-ment will provide a breathing space while both sides reconsider their positions. record noun /_rek?_d/ 1. a report of something which has happened The chairman signed the minutes as a true record of the last meeting. for the re-cord, to keep the record straight to note something which has been done For the record, I would like these sales figures to be noted in the minutes. on record correctly reported The chair-man is on record as saying that profits are set to rise. to go on record as stating to state emphatically, so that it can be noted 2. a description of what has happened in the past the salesperson’s record of service or service record the company’s record in industrial relations He has a very poor timekeeping re-cord. verb /r _k?_d/ to note or report to record a complaint to listen to a complaint and make a note of it Your complaint has been recorded and will be investigated. record of achievement /rek?_d ?v ?_t?i_vm?nt/ noun a document given to someone who has finished a course of instruction, showing their achievement in class, exam results, etc. records /_rek?_dz/ plural noun docu-ments which give information The names of customers are kept in the com-pany’s records. We find from our re-cords that our invoice number 1234 has not been paid. recreation /rekri_e ?(?)n/ noun lei-sure time Giving the shift workers half an hour recreation in the middle of the morning has resulted in improved productivity. recreational /rekri_e ?(?)n(?)l/ ad-jective referring to recreation recreational facilities /rekri- _e ?(?)n(?)l f?s l tiz/ plural noun sports centres, football pitches, gyms, etc., provided by a company for the employees recruit /r _kru_t/ verb to recruit new staff to search for and appoint new staff to join a company We are re-cruiting staff for our new store. noun a new member of staff The induction programme for recruits begins on Wednesday. recruitment /r _kru_tm?nt/, recruit-ing / r _kru_t ?/ noun recruitment of new staff the process of searching for and appointing new staff to join a com-pany Which section in HR deals with recruitment and selection? recruitment consultant /r - _kru_tm?nt k?ns$lt?nt/ noun an agency which recruits staff for a com-pany (usually interviewing and drawing up a shortlist of candidates for a final decision by the management) recruitment fair /r _kru_tm?nt fe?/ noun an exhibition where employers try to recruit college graduates as new members of staff recruitment ratio /r _kru_tm?nt re ?i??/ noun a ratio of the number of people appointed to jobs to the number of candidates applying The recruit-ment ratio is low in departments where a high level of skills is required. The sudden demand for a large number of new employees has led to the lowering of the recruitment ratio. red circle rate /red _s__k(?)l re t/ noun a pay rate which is above the mini-mum rate for an employee’s evaluated level red circling /red _s__kl ?/ noun the practice of paying staff at a higher rate, even if their jobs have been downgraded redeploy /ri_d _pl? / verb to move employees from one place to another or from one type of job to another We closed the design department and rede-ployed the workforce in the publicity and sales departments. redeployment /ri_d _pl? m?nt/ noun the act of moving employees from one place of work to another or from one type of job to another red tape /red _te p/ noun official pa-perwork which takes a long time to ta m/, refreshment refreshment time reduce 220 refreshment time complete The appointment of the new manager has been held up by red tape in the HR department. reduce /r _dju_s/ verb to make smaller or lower We must reduce expenditure if we want to stay in business. We have made some staff redundant to re-duce overmanning. The company re-duced output because of a fall in demand. The government’s policy is to reduce inflation to 5%. to reduce staff to make employees redundant in order to have a smaller number of staff to reduce salaries to lower the level of salaries reduction /r _d$k??n/ noun an act of making something smaller or less Reduction in demand has led to the cancellation of several new projects. The company was forced to make job reductions. We expect the new gov-ernment to introduce tax reductions. The new MD has proposed a series of staff reductions. Working only part-time will mean a significant reduc-tion in take-home pay. reduction of manning levels an act of reducing the number of employees needed in certain jobs reduction of working hours the act of reducing the number of hours worked redundancy /r _d$nd?nsi/ noun 1. the dismissal of a person whose job no longer needs to be done 2. a person who has lost a job because they are not needed any more The takeover caused 250 redundancies. redundancy pay /r _d$nd?nsi pe /, redundancy payment /r _d$nd?nsi pe m?nt/ noun payment made to an employee to compensate for losing their job redundant /r _d$nd?nt/ adjective 1. (ability or skill) which is no longer needed or is useless redundant clause in a contract The new legislation has made clause 6 redundant. Retraining can help workers whose old skills have become redundant. 2. (person) who loses their job because their skills are no longer needed to make someone re-dundant to dismiss an employee who is not needed any more redundant staff /r d$nd?nt _st?_f/ noun staff who have lost their jobs be-cause they are not needed any more re-employ /ri_ m_pl? / verb to em-ploy someone again He came back to the factory hoping to be re-employed. re-employment /ri_ m_pl? m?nt/ noun the act of employing someone again re-engage /ri_ n_ e d"/ verb to re-employ someone, but not necessarily in the same job re-engagement /ri_ n_ e d"m?nt/ noun the act of employing someone again, but not necessarily in the same job referee /ref?_ri_/ noun a person such as a former employer or teacher who can give a report on someone’s charac-ter, ability or job performance She gave the name of her boss as a referee. When applying please give the names of three referees. He chose his former headmaster as referee. reference /_ref(?)r?ns/ noun 1. the process of mentioning or dealing with with reference to your letter of May 25th 2. a person such as a former employer or teacher who can give a report on some-one’s character, ability or job perfor-mance He gave the name of his former manager as a reference. Please use me as a reference if you wish. reference period /_ref(?)r?ns p ?ri?d/ noun a period which is used as a base for comparisons refresher course /r _fre?? k?_s/ noun a course of study designed to bring existing skills or knowledge up to date Refresher courses were given to any-one who had not used this machinery for some time. She went on a refresher course in bookkeeping. refreshment /r _fre?m?nt/ noun food and drink /r _fre?m?nt break /r - _fre?m?nt bre k/ noun a rest time dur-ing work when employees can have something to eat or drink. coffee break, tea break region 221 relations region /_ri_d"?n/ noun 1. a large area of a country Her territory consists of all the eastern region of the country. 2. in the region of about or approxi-mately She was earning a salary in the region of £35,000. register /_red" st?/ noun an official list to enter something in a register to keep a register up to date to be on the unemployment register to be offi-cially classified as unemployed verb to write something in an official list After he was made redundant he regis-tered at the unemployment office. registered disabled person /red" st?d d se b(?)ld _p__s(?)n/ noun a person who is registered with the Department for Employment as having a disability registered letter /red" st?d _let?/, registered parcel /red" st?d _p?_s?l/ noun a letter or parcel which is noted by the post office before it is sent, so that the sender can claim compensation if it is lost registered office /red" st?d _?f s/ noun the office address of a company which is officially registered with the Companies’ Registrar registered unemployed /red" st?d ?z $n m_pl? d/ noun a person who has not got a job, has regis-tered for unemployment benefit and is actively looking for work registrar /red" _str?_/ noun a person who keeps official records regular /_re j?l?/ adjective which happens or comes at the same time each day, each week, each month or each year His regular train is the 12.45. The regular flight to Athens leaves at 06.00. regular income /re j?l?r _ nk$m/ noun an income which comes in every week or month She works freelance so she does not have a regular income. regular staff /_re j?l? st?_f/ noun the full-time staff rehabilitation /ri_?b l _te ?(?)n/ noun the process of making someone fit for work again (after illness, a period in prison, etc.) COMMENT: By the Rehabilitation of Of-fenders Act, 1974, a person who is con-victed of an offence, and then spends a period of time without committing any other offence, is not required to reveal that they have a previous conviction. rehabilitation centre /ri_?b l - _te ?(?)n sent?/ noun a centre where people who have not been working for some time (such as because of illness or unemployment) can be trained to re-enter the work environment rehire /ri__ha ?/ verb to take back an employee after they have been made re-dundant or have left the company I don’t think it was a good idea to rehire those two workers. reimburse /ri_ m_b__s/ verb to re-imburse someone their expenses to pay someone back for money which they have spent You will be reim-bursed for your expenses or your ex-penses will be reimbursed. reimbursement /ri_ m_b__sm?nt/ noun the act of paying back money reimbursement of expenses reinstate /ri_ n_ste t/ verb to allow someone to return to a job from which they were dismissed The union de-manded that the sacked workers should be reinstated. reinstatement /ri_ n_ste tm?nt/ noun the act of putting someone back into a job from which they were dismissed reinstatement order /ri_ n- _ste tm?nt ?_d?/ noun an order by a tribunal to an employer to give a dis-missed person their job back reject /r _d"ekt/ verb to refuse to ac-cept, or to say that something is not sat-isfactory The union rejected the management’s proposals. rejection /r _d"ek??n/ noun a refusal to accept, such as the refusal to give a customer credit After the union’s re-jection of the offer, management came back with new redundancy terms. relations /r _le ?(?)nz/ plural noun re-lationships with other people, compa-nies or countries Relations between the management and the workforce have been strained recently. to break off release 222 remunerative relations with someone to stop dealing with someone release /r _li_s/ noun the act of setting free release from a contract He was offered early release so that he could take up his new job. verb to end an employee’s contract early relevant /_rel?v(?)nt/ adjective which has to do with what is being discussed or the current situation Can you give me the relevant papers? The new as-sistant does not have any relevant experience. reliability /r la ?_b l ti/ noun the fact of being reliable reliable /r _la ?b(?)l/ adjective which can be trusted We are looking for a reliable bookkeeper to deal with the payroll. The sales manager is com-pletely reliable. reliable test /r la ?b(?)l _test/ noun a test which always gives correct results relief /r _li_f/ noun 1. help 2. a person who takes the place of someone who is sick or on holiday A relief manager has been sent from headquarters. The bus carrying relief workers was late. relief shift /r _li_f ? ft/ noun a shift which comes to take the place of an-other shift, usually the shift between the day shift and the night shift relieve /r _li_v/ verb to come to work to take the place of another employee at the end of a shift The shift will be re-lieved at 06.30. relocate /ri_l??_ke t/ verb to estab-lish an organisation in a new place, or to be established in a new place The board decided to relocate the company in Scotland. When the company moved its headquarters, 1500 people had to be relocated. If the company moves down south, all the managerial staff will have to relocate. relocation /ri_l??_ke ?(?)n/ noun the act of moving to a different place We will pay all the staff relocation costs. relocation allowance /ri_l??- _ke ?(?)n ?la??ns/ noun a special pay-ment given to an employee who agrees to move to another town to work relocation expenses /ri_l??- _ke ?(?)n kspens z/ plural noun ex- penses involved when an employee has to move house because their place of work has changed, or when a new em-ployee has to move house to join the company, paid by the company remedial transfer /r mi_di?l _tr_nsf__/ noun an act of transferring an employee to a more suitable job after they have not performed well in their present position The HR manager and the supervisor discussed the possibility of a remedial transfer. removal /r _mu_v(?)l/ noun 1. the act of moving to a new house or office Staff are allowed removal expenses on joining the company. 2. the act of sack-ing someone (usually a director) from a job The removal of the managing di-rector is going to be very difficult. remunerate /r _mju_n?re t/ verb to pay someone for doing something The company refused to remunerate them for their services. remuneration /r mju_n?_re ?(?)n/ noun payment for services She has a monthly remuneration of £4800. The job is interesting but the remuneration is low. She receives a small remuner-ation of £400 a month. No one will work hard for such poor remuneration. COMMENT: Remuneration can take sev-eral forms: the regular monthly salary cheque, a cheque or cash payment for hours worked or for work completed, etc. remuneration package /r - mju_n?_re ?(?)n p_k d"/ noun the salary, pension contributions, bonuses and other forms of payment or benefit that make up an employee’s total remuneration remunerations committee /r - mju_n?_re ?(?)nz k?m ti/ noun a committee of senior executives or non-executive directors who decide on directors’ salaries remunerations consultant /r - mju_n?_re ?(?)nz k?ns$lt?nt/ noun an adviser who gives advice on wage and salary structures remunerative /r _mju_n?r?t v/ ad-jective referring to a job which pays well She is in a highly remunerative job. 6207760102298500 renew 223 report renew /r _nju_/ verb to continue some-thing for a further period of time His contract was renewed for a further three years. renewal /r _nju_?l/ noun the act of re-newing His contract is up for renewal in January. reopen /ri__??p?n/ verb to open again The office will reopen soon after its refit. The management agreed to re-open discussions with the union. reopening /ri__??p(?)n ?/ noun opening again the reopening of the store after refitting reopening clause /ri__??p(?)n ? kl?_z/ noun a clause in an agreement between a union and an employer which allows the union to reopen discussions on a particular issue during the term of the agreement reorganisation /ri_?_ ?na - _ze ?(?)n/, reorganization noun the act of organising something in a new way His job was downgraded in the office reorganisation or in the reorgani-sation of the office. reorganise /ri__?_ ?na z/, reorga-nize verb to organise in a new way We have reorganised all our reps’ territories. repair shop /r _pe? ??p/ noun a small factory where machines are repaired repeat /r _pi_t/ verb to do or say some-thing again He repeated his address slowly so that the saleswoman could write it down. When asked what the company planned to do, the chairman repeated ‘Nothing’. We’ll have to re-peat the survey next year. repeated absences from work the act of being absent from work again and again repetitive /r _pet t v/ adjective which happens again and again repetitive strain injury /r pet t v _stre n nd"?ri/, repetitive stress injury /r pet t v _stres nd"?ri/ noun a pain in the arm felt by someone who performs the same movement many times over a certain period, such as when keyboarding. Abbr RSI repetitive work /r _pet t v w__k/ noun work which involves repeating the same task over and over again Super-visors try to introduce some variation into the work pattern since repetitive work leads to boredom. Psychologists claim that repetitive work can be just as stressful as more demanding but varied work. replace /r _ple s/ verb to put someone or something in the place of someone or something else They replaced the foreman with a younger man. We are replacing all our salaried staff with freelancers. replacement /r _ple sm?nt/ noun 1. an item which replaces something We are out of stock and are waiting for re-placements. 2. a person who replaces someone My assistant leaves us next week, so we are advertising for a replacement. replacement rate /r _ple sm?nt re t/ noun the proportion of an organi-sation’s workforce that is replaced every year The high replacement rate can be put down to dissatisfaction with working conditions. report /r _p?_t/ noun a statement de-scribing what has happened or describ-ing a state of affairs The accountants are drafting a report on salary scales. The sales manager reads all the reports from the sales team. verb 1. to make a statement describing something Each manager reports on the progress made in their departments over the last six weeks. 2. to report to someone to be responsible to or to be under someone She reports direct to the managing di-rector. The salesforce reports to the sales director. 3. to go to a place or to attend She has been asked to report for an interview. Please report to our London office for training. to report sick to state officially that you are sick and so cannot work ‘…responsibilities include the production of premium quality business reports’ [Times] ‘…the research director will manage a team of business analysts monitoring and reporting on the latest development in retail distribution’ [Times] ‘…the successful candidate will report to the area director for profit responsibility for sales of leading brands’ [Times] reportable accident 224 resentment reportable accident /r p?_t?b(?)l __ks d(?)nt/ noun an accident which causes death, or which makes an em-ployee stay away from work for more than three days reporting pay /r _p?_t ? pe / noun guaranteed pay for employees who re-port for work whether there is work for them to do or not The reporting pay system can be a drain on the company’s resources when the order book is low. represent /repr _zent/ verb 1. to work for a company, showing goods or services to possible buyers He repre-sents an American car firm in Europe. Our French distributor represents sev-eral other competing firms. Which sector of the workforce does she repre-sent on the committee? 2. to act on be-half of someone He sent his solicitor and accountant to represent him at the meeting. Three managers represent the workforce in discussions with the directors. representation /repr zen_te ?(?)n/ noun 1. the act of selling goods for a company We offered them exclusive representation in Europe. They have no representation in the USA. 2. the fact of having someone to act on your behalf The minority shareholders want rep-resentation on the board. The ordi-nary shop floor workers want representation on the committee. 3. a complaint made on behalf of someone The managers made representations to the board on behalf of the hourly-paid members of staff. representative /repr _zent?t v/ noun 1. a person who acts on someone’s behalf He sent his solicitor and ac-countant to act as his representatives at the meeting. The board refused to meet the representatives of the workforce. 2. same as sales representative reprimand /_repr m?_nd/ noun offi-cial criticism given to an employee After receiving one reprimand he knew he would be sacked for further absen-teeism. verb to criticise someone offi-cially He was reprimanded by the manager. repudiate /r _pju_die t/ verb to refuse to accept something to repudiate an agreement or a contract to refuse to perform one’s obligations under an agreement or contract repudiation /r pju_di_e ?(?)n/ noun a refusal to accept something request /r _kwest/ noun an act of ask-ing for something They put in a re-quest for a government subsidy. His request for a loan was turned down by the bank. on request if asked for We will send samples on request or ‘samples available on request.’ requirement /r _kwa ?m?nt/ noun what is needed to meet the require-ments of a job to have the right qualifi-cations or experience for a job requisition /rekw _z ?(?)n/ noun an official order for something What is the reference number of your latest requisition? requisition form /rekw _z ?(?)n f?_m/ noun a form sent to the human re-sources department from a department in an organisation asking for a new em-ployee to be found to fill a vacancy The requisition form should contain all details of the job specification and terms of employment offered. research /r _s__t?/ noun the process of trying to find out facts or information research and development /r - s__t? ?n d _vel?pm?nt/ noun scien-tific investigation which leads to mak-ing new products or improving existing products The company spends mil-lions on research and development. Abbr R&D resent /r _zent/ verb to feel annoyed about something The rest of the office resented his promotion to manager. resentful /r _zentf(?)l/ adjective feel-ing annoyed about something The ju-nior members of staff feel resentful that the managers have a separate dining room. resentment /r _zentm?nt/ noun a feeling of annoyance at something The resentment of the unions at their treatment by management ended in a se-ries of one-day strikes. residence 225 respresentational rights residence /_rez d(?)ns/ noun 1. a house or flat where someone lives He has a country residence where he spends his weekends. 2. the act of living or operating officially in a country residence permit /_rez d(?)ns p__m t/ noun an official document al-lowing a foreigner to live in a country She was granted a residence permit for one year or a one-year residence permit. He has applied for a residence permit. resident /_rez d(?)nt/ noun a person or company considered to be living or operating in a country for official or tax purposes The company is resident in France. residual /r _z dju?l/ adjective re-maining after everything else has gone residual unemployment /r - z dju?l $n m_pl? m?nt/ noun unem-ployment amongst people who are not capable of doing the work available resign /r _za n/ verb to give up a job He resigned from his post as treasurer. He has resigned with effect from July 1st. She resigned as finance director. resignation /rez _ne ?(?)n/ noun the act of giving up a job He wrote his letter of resignation to the chairman. to hand in or to give in or to send in your resignation to resign from your job resizing /ri__sa z ?/ noun same as upsizing resolution /rez?_lu_?(?)n/ noun a decision to be reached at a meeting The meeting rejected the resolution or the resolution was defeated by ten votes to twenty. The meeting carried or adopted a resolution to go on strike. A resolution was passed to raise salaries by six per cent. to put a resolution to a meeting to ask a meeting to vote on a proposal resolve /r _z?lv/ verb to decide to do something The meeting resolved that a strike ballot should be held. resources /r _s?_s z/ plural noun 1. a source of supply of something 2. the money available for doing something enough money to pay for the new project respondent /r _sp?nd?nt/ noun an employer who is defending a case brought before the industrial tribunal by an employee responsibilities /r sp?ns _b l tiz/ plural noun duties He finds the re-sponsibilities of being managing direc-tor too heavy. responsibility /r sp?ns _b l ti/ noun the fact of being responsible The manager has overall responsibility for the welfare of the staff in her department. responsible /r _sp?ns b(?)l/ adjec-tive 1. responsible to someone being under someone’s authority She is di-rectly responsible to the managing di-rector. responsible for directing or being in charge of doing a certain job He is responsible for all sales. He is responsible for the staff in his depart-ment. 2. (person) who is sensible or who can be trusted a responsible job job where important decisions have to be taken or where the employee has many responsibilities He is looking for a re-sponsible job in marketing. responsible job /r _sp?ns?b(?)l d"?b/ noun a job where important deci-sions have to be taken or where the em-ployee has many responsibilities She is looking for a responsible job in marketing. responsibly /r _sp?ns bli/ adverb in a responsible way The staff acted very responsibly when the fire broke out. responsive /r _sp?ns v/ adjective re-ferring to a person who listens and does what someone asks The human re-sources manager was responsive to her request for compassionate leave. responsive listening /r sp?ns v _l s(?)n ?/ noun the act of listening carefully and responding to what an-other person says The HR manager’s responsive listening made the trainee feel that she understood her problems. respresentational rights the cost of the new project is easily /repr zente ?(?)n(?)l _ra ts/ plural within our resources we have quite noun the rights of a union to represent restart 226 retainer employees in dealings with management restart /r _st?_t/ verb to start some-thing again Negotiations will restart tomorrow. restart interview /_ri_st?_t nt?vju_/ noun an interview given to someone who is unemployed, with the aim of advising them on means of get-ting back to work rest break /_rest bre k/ noun a period of time during the working day when an employee is allowed to be away from their workstation for a rest or meal break (NOTE: Many countries have laws governing how often employees are al-lowed rest breaks and how long those rest breaks should be, depending on the number of hours the employee works in a day.) rest period /_rest p ?ri?d/ noun the length of time between periods of work that an employee is entitled to have for rest (NOTE: Many countries have laws governing the rights of employees to have a particular number of periods of rest per day, per week, and, some-times, per month.) restraint /r _stre nt/ noun control restrict /r _str kt/ verb to limit or to impose controls on We are restricted to twenty staff by the size of our offices. restrictive /r _str kt v/ adjective which limits restrictive covenant /r str kt v _k$v?n?nt/ noun a clause in a contract which prevents someone from doing something restrictive practices /r str kt v _pr_kt s z/, restrictive trade prac-tices /r str kt v _tre d pr_kt s z/ plural noun ways of working which make people less free (such as trade un-ions stopping workers from doing cer-tain jobs or companies not allowing customers a free choice of product) As part of a policy of restrictive practices he refused to do anything which was not laid down in his contract of employ-ment. Restrictive practices in industry mean that employers will not be able to afford to take on more labour. restructuring /ri__str$kt??r ?/ noun the process of reorganising the financial basis of a company result /r _z$lt/ noun something which happens because of something else What was the result of the price investi-gation? The company doubled its sales force with the result that the sales rose by 26%. verb to result in to produce as a result The doubling of the sales force resulted in increased sales. The extra orders resulted in overtime work for all the factory staff. We have to fill several vacancies result-ing from the recent internal promotions. result-driven /r _z$lt dr v(?)n/ ad-jective used to describe a strategy or or-ganisation that focuses mainly on results and achievements (NOTE: A re- sult-driven organisation concentrates on achieving its aims, and delivering products at the required time, cost, and quality, and considers performance to be more important than procedures.) resume /r _zju_m/ verb to start again The discussions resumed after a two hour break. résumé /_rezju_me /, resume noun US a summary of a person’s work expe-rience and qualifications sent to a pro-spective employer by someone applying for a job (NOTE: British English is cur-riculum vitae) resumption /r _z$mp??n/ noun an act of starting again we expect an early resumption of negotiations we expect negotiations will start again soon retail price(s) index /ri_te l _pra s z ndeks/ noun an index which shows how prices of consumer goods have increased or decreased over a pe-riod of time. Abbr RPI retain /r _te n/ verb 1. to keep mea-sures to retain experienced staff Out of the profits, the company has retained £50,000 as provision against bad debts. 2. to retain a lawyer to act for a company to agree with a lawyer that they will act for you (and pay them a fee in advance) retainer /r _te n?/ noun money paid in advance to someone so that they will work for you, and not for someone else We pay them a retainer of £1,000. retention 227 reward retention /r _ten??n/ the process of keeping the loyalty of existing employ-ees and persuading them not to work for another company ‘…a systematic approach to human resource planning can play a significant part in reducing recruitment and retention problems’ [Personnel Management] retention bonus /r _ten??n b??n?s/ noun a bonus payment paid to employees who are obliged to stay on to close down a business, where their col-leagues will have been eligible for re-dundancy payments retention profile /r _ten??n pr??fa l/ noun the analysis of all em- ployees who join at the same date, showing how many leave each year, ex-pressed as a percentage of the original total retiral /r _ta ?r?l/ noun US same as retirement retire /r _ta ?/ verb 1. to stop work and take a pension She retired with a £15,000 pension. The founder of the company retired at the age of 85. The shop is owned by a retired policeman. 2. to make an employee stop work and take a pension They decided to retire all staff over 50. retiree /r ta ?_ri_/ noun a person who has retired or is about to retire retirement /r _ta ?m?nt/ noun 1. the act of retiring from work I am looking forward to my retirement. Older staff are planning what they will do in retire-ment. 2. the period when a person is retired retirement annuity /r _ta ?m?nt ?- nju_ ti/ noun an annuity bought when someone retires, using part of the sum put into a personal pension plan retirement date /r _ta ?m?nt de t/ noun the date on which someone retires and takes a pension retirement pension /r _ta ?m?nt pen??n/ noun a state pension given in the UK to a man who is over 65 and woman who is over 60. Women’s pen-sion age is gradually being adjusted to 65. retrain /ri__tre n/ verb to train some-one for a new job, or to do the same job in a more efficient way She went back to college to be retrained. retraining /ri__tre n ?/ noun the act of training again The shop is closed for staff retraining. He had to attend a retraining session. Retraining is nec-essary to keep up with new production methods. retroactive /retr??__kt v/ adjective which takes effect from a time in the past The union is asking for a retroac-tive pay rise. They got a pay rise ret-roactive to last January. ‘The salary increases, retroactive from April of the current year, reflect the marginal rise in private sector salaries’ [Nikkei Weekly] retroactively /retr??__kt vli/ ad-verb going back to a time in the past returner /r _t__n?/ noun a person who goes back to work after being away for a time reverse charge call /r v__s _t??_d" k?_l/ noun a telephone call where the person receiving the call agrees to pay for it reversionary annuity /r - v__?(?)n(?)ri ?_nju_ ti/ noun an annu-ity paid to someone on the death of an-other person review /r _vju_/ noun a general exami-nation to conduct a review of distribu-tors she had a salary review last April her salary was examined (and in-creased) in April verb to examine something generally to review sala-ries to look at all salaries in a company to decide on increases His salary will be reviewed at the end of the year. The company has decided to review freelance payments in the light of the rising cost of living. revoke /r _v??k/ verb to cancel to revoke a decision or a clause in an agreement reward /r _w?_d/ noun money or other gains from effort The present given to the retiring manager was a reward for many years loyal service to the com-pany. Although the job is very de-manding, the rewards are considerable. verb to give a person something in re-turn for effort or achievement The work is hard and not very rewarding financially. reward management 228 role conflict reward management /r _w?_d m_n d"m?nt/ noun the creation and running of a system that rewards the work done by employees (NOTE: Re- ward management deals not only with basic pay, but also with the whole re-muneration package offered to em-ployees including such things as incentive schemes and fringe bene-fits.) reward package /r _w?_d p_k d"/ noun the total of all money and benefits given to an employee (including salary, bonuses, company car, pension plans, medical insurance, etc.) reward review /r _w?_d r vju_/ noun a study of an employee’s perfor-mance to determine their correct pay level right /ra t/ noun a legal title to some-thing The staff have a right to know how the company is doing. rightful claimant /ra tf(?)l _kle m?nt/ noun a person who has a le- gal claim to something (NOTE: this term has now replaced plaintiff. The other side in a case is the defendant) right-hand man /_ra t h_nd m_n/ noun a man who is the main assistant to someone right of appeal /ra t ?v ?_pi_l/ noun the right to challenge a decision of a tribunal right of association /ra t ?v ?s??si_e ?(?)n/ noun the right of em- ployees to join a union (as opposed to the right to dissociate, i.e. the right to re-fuse to join a union) right to dissociate /ra t t? d - _s??sie t/ noun the right of employees to refuse to join a union (as opposed to the right of association, i.e. the right to join a union) right to manage /ra t t? _m_n d"/ noun a right which a management has to take decisions without necessarily tak-ing the opinions of the employees into account right to strike /ra t t? _stra k/ noun a legal title for workers to stop working if they have a good reason for it right to work /ra t t? _w__k/ noun the right of an adult person to find work rigid /_r d" d/ adjective not flexible or which cannot be changed The econ-omy is being held back by rigid labour laws. The employees complained that the management was too rigid in inter-preting the rule book. rise /ra z/ noun 1. an increase There needs to be an increase in salaries to keep up with the rise in the cost of liv-ing. 2. an increase in pay She asked her boss for a rise. He had a 6% rise in January. (NOTE: American English is raise) verb to move upwards or to be-come higher Salaries are rising faster than inflation. (NOTE: rising – rose – risen) rising unemployment /ra z ? $n m_pl? m?nt/ noun unemployment rates which are rising because more people are being made redundant risk-averse /r sk ?_v__s/ adjective not wanting to take risks roadshow /_r??d???/ noun a travel-ling exhibition where companies have stands to show what they do in order to attract potential trainees rock bottom /r?k _b?t?m/ noun sales have reached rock bottom sales have reached the lowest point possible role /r??l/ noun a part played by some-one in a workplace or organisation The manager is more effective in his role as employer than as salesman. It is easier for an outsider to play the role of mediator in the dispute. role ambiguity /_r??l _mb ju_ ti/ noun uncertainty on the part of an em-ployee about what their role within an organisation actually is and what col-leagues expect of them (NOTE: Role am- biguity often occurs in newly created posts or in positions that are undergo-ing change.) role conflict /_r??l k?nfl kt/ noun a situation in which two or more require-ments in a job are, or seem to be, incom-patible with each other (NOTE: Role conflict can occur when colleagues have different expectations of what the priorities of the person doing a particu-lar job should be, or when someone’s loyalties are divided between a particu-lar department and the organisation as a whole, or between personal profes- role culture 229 run with sional ethics and the demands of the organisation.) role culture /_r??l k$lt??/ noun a type of corporate culture that assumes that employees are rational and that roles can be defined and discharged us-ing clearly defined procedures (NOTE: An organisation with a role culture is believed to be very stable but bad at implementing change management.) role model /_r??l m?d(?)l/ noun someone whose behaviour is copied role play /_r??l ple /, role playing /_r??l ple ?/ noun a training technique where trainees play different roles (salesperson, customer, manager, junior, etc.) in order to get a better understand-ing of people and to improve their pow-ers of communication Role-playing was used as part of the management training programme. ‘…role playing designed to simulate work situations: for example, candidates may be asked to stand in for a fictional manager who has been taken sick’ [Sunday Times] roll call /_r??l k?_l/ noun the calling out of the names of employees to see if they are present (as during a fire in an office or factory) rolling budget /r??l ? _b$d" t/ noun a budget which moves forward on a regular basis (such as a budget cover-ing a twelve-month period, which moves forward each month or quarter) rota /_r??t?/, roster /_r?st?/ noun a list showing when different members of staff will do certain duties We are drawing up a new roster for Saturday afternoon work. rotate /r??_te t/ verb to do tasks in turns The shifts are rotated every fortnight. rotating shifts /r??te t ? _? fts/ noun a system where employees take turns in working different shifts Ro-tating shifts can be unpopular with workers who do not want to break their routine. rotation /r??_te ?(?)n/ noun the act of taking turns to fill the post of chair-man by rotation each member of the group is chairman for a period then gives the post to another member round table discussions /ra?nd te b(?)l d _sk$?(?)nz/ plural noun dis- cussions involving several parties who sit round the same table routine /ru__ti_n/ noun a normal or regular way of doing something Re-fitting the conference room has dis-turbed the office routine. adjective normal or which happens regularly routine work a routine call They carried out a routine check of the fire equipment. RSI abbr repetitive strain injury rule /ru_l/ noun 1. a general way of conduct It is a company rule that smoking is not allowed in the offices. The rules of the organisation are ex-plained during the induction sessions. as a rule usually As a rule, we do not give discounts over 20%. 2. to work to rule to work strictly according to the rules agreed by the company and union, and therefore to work very slowly verb 1. to give an official decision The commission of inquiry ruled that the company was in breach of contract. 2. to be in force or to be current The current ruling agreement is being redrafted. rulebook /_ru_lb?k/ noun a book which lists the rules by which the mem-bers of a union or self-regulatory or-ganisation must operate ruling /_ru_l ?/ noun a decision The inquiry gave a ruling on the case. Ac-cording to the ruling of the court, the contract was illegal. rumour clinic /_ru_m? kl n k/ noun US an information service for employ-ees which corrects false rumours which might be circulating in an organisation Installing a rumour clinic is an im-portant part of the management’s inter-nal public relations. run /r$n/ verb to manage or to organise She runs a mail-order business from home. They run a staff sports club. (NOTE: running – ran – run) runaway inflation /r$n?we n- _fle ?(?)n/ noun very rapid inflation, which is almost impossible to reduce run with /_r$n w ð/ verb to decide to carry out an idea or project (informal)